


An Epilogue for Magnus Burnsides

by Justanotherfangirl



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Platonic Love, i guess kinda angsty, no ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 21:23:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13555845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justanotherfangirl/pseuds/Justanotherfangirl
Summary: Magnus sees her everywhere, sees her in everything.Julia.Some days, it's hard to keep moving forward.





	An Epilogue for Magnus Burnsides

Most days, it was easy to forget.

Well, "forget" was generous. Of course, Magnus would never forget her. Every day he saw her; in the way Lup snorted when she laughed, in Angus's smile, in the birds singing outside in Merle's garden... he saw Julia in everything.

But most days, the reminder was soft enough to be pleasant, free of the hurt that comes from fresh wounds; instead he felt the faint pull of nostalgia and longing, which was easy enough to let settle into the depths of his stomach, a sad truth grown worn with time. Magnus thought of her with a smile, a deep fondness that would never fade, but had grown more distant, less sharp, with time and friendship.

But some days, the weight of it crushed him.

Magnus was sitting out on the porch of his cottage (hand-built, carved with his own hands, just like he and Julia had always dreamed it would be), whittling mindlessly. He stared off into space. She was so far away now, so far that Magnus wouldn't be able to reach her, ever, as long as he lived... for some reason, the reality of that distance suddenly crashed onto his shoulders, pinning him, making it harder and harder to breathe-

"Magnus?"

The thought broke off into a thousand fragments. As Magnus came back to reality, he realized he had nicked his thumb. The small bead of red threatened to stain his half-finished duck, so he stuck it in his mouth on an impulse, and turned around.

It was Angus. Of course it was Angus. Magnus hadn't eaten much tonight, and the kid must have noticed. He always noticed; he was the world's best detective, after all. Magnus's heart swelled with a sudden pride as he took him in. It seemed like just yesterday Angus was short enough that Magnus was worried he would step on him, but now he rivaled Magnus's own height. Angus smiled, walking towards him.

"Mind if I sit?"

Magnus nodded, removing his thumb from his mouth and leaning back on his hands. It was a gorgeous day, a perfect summer evening; the sun dipped over the horizon in a beautiful swirl of pinks and reds and oranges. For a moment, Magnus closed his eyes, imagining that Julia was here beside him. She had always loved the sunset. Every evening she would stop whatever she was doing just to point out its beauty. Her eyes would sparkle with the hope that comes from surviving a revolution.

Until-

Magnus sighed, opening his eyes again to find Angus staring at him. He offered a small smile, then sighed, tired, ancient.

"It's... It's better than it used to be."

Angus nodded, silent and sympathetic.

"I still miss her, Angus. I miss her every day."

Magnus looked to his side, where he saw Angus's shining eyes as the sun sunk lower and lower in the darkening sky. For some reason, tears welled up in Magnus's eyes.

"She would have loved you."

He pulled Angus into a hug, tears streaming. Angus patted his back as Magnus cried, just for a minute, then pulled away, wiping his eyes and sniffling. Angus didn't seem to mind the outburst; he went back to admiring the sunset as Magnus composed himself. Neither of them spoke as they kept watching, until Angus broke the silence.

"You know, sir..."

"Angus, you know you can call me Dad," Magnus chided, ruffling the kid's hair. Angus laughed and swatted Magnus's hand away playfully.

"Dad... I think Julia would be proud of you, if she saw you today. If she knew all the things you had done." Angus paused for a moment, thinking. "I don't think she would have wanted you to do it any differently."

Magnus kept looking at the sun, almost completely gone now, and felt a stray tear trickle down his face. He laughed a little to himself, wiping it away, as he sighed, this time more at peace, more contented.

"Angus?"

Angus's eyes followed the sun's last rays as the sky faded to a dark indigo. Magnus looked into his face, so calm and clear, so... happy, here with him against all odds, against the end of the world and the monotony of life, against the inevitability of death and the reality of loss; despite it all, Angus was here, and Magnus was here, and Taako and Merle and Lup and Barry and Lucretia and Davenport, all living their lives parallel to each other, living in spite of the weight of everything, and, even in the face of it, loving anyway. Magnus felt it, felt reality and love enclosing his heart in equal amounts.

But, he thought, looking into Angus's hopeful eyes, this is enough.

Love, he thought, is worth losing.

"I think you might be right about that."

After a moment, the sun was completely gone, throwing the porch into darkness. But, as Magnus watched, he saw the twinkling of the night's first star, shining in spite of all the darkness and empty space. Soon, the sky was full of stars, and Magnus smiled.

It seemed as if the light never really left after all.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! <3


End file.
